Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

How does alcohol function in the play? Choose one character and follow their relationship with alcohol throughout the night and explain how alcohol functions for them. Use details from the text.

Imagine that you are producing a contemporary production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? What issues in the play do you think are most relevant today and why?

Research the philosophy of absurdism and Theatre of the Absurd. Do you think Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is absurdist? Why or why not? Be specific and reference the play.

What do the titles of the acts mean? How does each act represent its title?

How does the play comment on the idea of the American nuclear family? How does the play’s commentary interact with the way these ideals were developing in the early 1960s?

Research the Cold War and what it meant to Americans in 1962. How might you view the play as an allegory for the Cold War? Use details from the play to make your case.

What is the significance of children to each of the characters in the play? How has being childless shaped their lives?

Over the course of the play, how do Nick and Honey reveal themselves? Who do they pretend to be? Who are they actually? How do Martha and George force these revelations?